Tamper proof packaging system

ABSTRACT

A tamper evident snap for a box having at least one set of two opposing flaps, where one half of the snap is attached to one flap, while the other half is attached to the second flap, and the two halves fit together when the flaps are closed. The snaps are affixed to the flaps via an adhesive which bonds the snaps to the underside of the opposing flaps. Half of the snap contains a movable tray, which forms the section to which the second half attaches when the two flaps are brought together. The half containing the movable tray also has a window through which the tray can be seen. The tray is a bright color which is dissimilar in color to the body of the snap housing it. Once the flaps of the box have been brought together, the first half of the snap engages with the tray in side the second half.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the general field of tamper proof packaging, and especially to reduce theft of electronic or medical equipment, or any other high value product, during shipping from manufacturers to distributors or sales outlets.

State of the Art Statement

Conventional security labels indicate tampering with hidden text showing the words “OPENED” or “VOID” which becomes when visible the label is removed. Other security measures involve the use of security labels which break into multiple pieces when removed. Another method involves the use of labels which becomes obviously displaced when cut as a method to indicate tampering (see U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,979 B2). The first method of tamper proofing is effective if the label is removed, but provides no indication of tampering if the label is cut. The first method of tamper proofing may also be circumvented by carefully removing the adhesive label, removing the contents of the container, and then resealing the container. The thief might also replace the original security label with an identical label. The second method resolves this issue, but retains a few security ‘holes’ in the implementation:

-   -   1) The fraying or displacing of the label may not be immediately         as obvious to the handler or receiver as the security labels         with the “OPENED” or “VOID” displayed text. The item may reach         its destination before any tampering has been identified.     -   2) The method of tamper indication does not provide quantitative         tracking of tampering (i.e. electronic tracking that the package         has been opened, when it occurred, and the location of         tampering). This is not so much a security hole as a logistics         hole which makes it difficult to locate the root of what may be         a systemic issue.

OBJECTIVES AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to provide tamper indication in a manner similar to conventional security labels, while at the same time addressing the security holes which persist in conventional tamper proofing methods. It is also the objective of the present invention to provide a means of electronic indication and tracking of a package which has been tampered with.

Electronic indication and tracking of a package which has been tampered with is intended to be accomplished by, but not limited to, a paired tracking system between the tamper sensor, and the shipped package to which it is attached. The tracking ID on the package is intended to have some additional information to indicate that there is a tamper indicator attached to it. The tamper indicator would also have its own tracking ID, which serves to uniquely identify itself, as well as to indicate that the sensor has been triggered, as a result of a change in the ID due to tampering. This information would be collected during shipping by appropriate means (i.e. barcode reader, RFID reader, digital camera, human operator), and entered into a database. A software application would monitor the database for a change in the tracking ID of the tamper indicator, and notify the shipper that the package may have been opened in route.

Briefly stated, the present invention provides a tamper evident snap for a box having at least one set of two opposing flaps, where one half of the snap is attached to one flap, while the other half is attached to the second flap, and the two halves fit together when the flaps are closed. The snaps are affixed to the flaps via an adhesive which bonds the snaps to the underside of the opposing flaps. Half of the snap contains a movable tray, which forms the section to which the second half attaches when the two flaps are brought together. The half containing the movable tray also has a window through which the tray can be seen. The tray is a bright color which is dissimilar in color to the body of the snap housing it. Once the flaps of the box have been brought together, the first half of the snap engages with the tray inside the second half. As the flaps are pulled apart, one half of the snap pulls the movable tray out of the body of the second half of the snap. The tray will no longer be visible through the window on the second half of the snap, and instead, the bottom of the second half of the snap (which is dissimilar in color to both the tray and the top of the snap) will be revealed. Once the tray has been removed, it will not be possible to re-insert tray. Additionally, or instead of dissimilar colors a barcode may be printed across the top of the snap, and the movable tray inside to further prevent counterfeiting, and as an aid for electronic tracking of opened boxes Additionally an inner cover resting on a support shelf built into the box, may serve to reduce accidentally triggering.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1a is a perspective view showing the top of the two halves of the tamper sensor, and wings which allow it to be attached to the lids of the box. In this drawing, the indicator tray is retracted inside the one half of the tamper sensor, and can be seen through the window on the top. The snap which pulls on the indicator tray is also visible.

FIG. 1b also shows the top two halves of the tamper sensor and its attachment wings, but in this drawing, the indicator tray has been pulled out. In this drawing the snap which pulls the indicator tray is no longer visible, and the inside of the tamper sensor can be seen through the window where the indicator tray was previously visible.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective of the tamper sensor revealing the indicator tray, the innards of the half of the tamper sensor which houses the tray, and the snaps which allow the tray to be secured to the body of the tamper sensor.

FIG. 3a is a cross sectional view of another embodiment, having a bar code option, and showing the two halves of the tamper sensor attached to one another. This view illustrates how the one half of the tamper sensor attaches to the other half via the indicator tray. It also reveals the snaps inside the sensor which secure the tray.

FIG. 3b is a cross sectional view showing the two halves of the tamper sensor, but with the two halves separated, and the indicator tray partially pulled out of the sensor.

FIG. 4a is an illustration of an actuated tamper sensor attached to the flaps of a carton which has been opened.

FIG. 4b is an illustration of an un-triggered tamper sensor attached to the flaps of a carton which is closed.

FIG. 5a is an illustration of an open shipping carton, providing a view of the inner cover support shelf, as well as the cutouts in the opposable flaps for the two halves of the tamper sensor.

FIG. 5b is an illustration of an open shipping carton with the container inner cover placed inside, which also provides a view of the cutouts in the opposable flaps for the two halves of the tamper sensor.

FIG. 6a is an illustration of the top of the container inner cover, providing a view of the recess for the tamper sensor, and the inner cover base which provides a flat surface for the shipping carton contents.

FIG. 6b is cross section of the container inner cover, illustrating the inner cover support lip which rests on the inner cover support shelf of the shipping carton.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A tamper evident snap for a carton/box having two opposing flaps, on the top or both the top and bottom of the shipping container, is presented, where one half of the snap is attached to one flap, while the other half is attached to the second flap, and the two halves fit together when the flaps are closed. The snaps are affixed to the flaps on either or both the top and bottom of the container/box via an adhesive or other means which bonds the snaps to the underside of the opposing flaps. In each pair half of the snap contains a movable tray, which forms the section to which the second half attaches when the two flaps are brought together. The half containing the movable tray also has a window through which the tray can be seen. The tray is a bright color which is dissimilar in color to the body of the snap housing it. Once the flaps of the box have been brought together, the first half of the snap engages with the tray inside the second half. As the flaps are pulled apart, one half of the snap pulls the movable tray out of the body of the second half of the snap. The tray will no longer be visible through the window on the second half of the snap, and instead, the bottom of the second half of the snap (which is dissimilar in color to both the tray and the top of the snap) will be revealed. Once the tray has been removed, it will not be possible to re-insert tray. A barcode is printed across the top of the snap, and the movable tray inside. This barcode serves to prevent counterfeiting, and aids in electronic tracking of opened boxes as the barcode will change as the tray is pulled away from the snap once the box lids have been opened.

Nothing described above or below precludes applying the tamper sensor of the present invention to one or more sides of the box, for a packaging system which is filled from the side rather than from a top, as long as at least one side opening has opposable flaps that come together when the package is sealed after filling.

During shipping, a barcode reader would scan a tracking label on the package. The tracking label would have additional encoding to indicate that the tamper indicator is attached to the package. The reader would recognize this code, and prompt the operator to scan the barcode on the indicator. After the indicator is scanned, software in the reader would determine if the indicator has been triggered. The status of the tamper indicator (triggered/un-triggered) would be uploaded, along with the tracking ID of the package and the indicator, to a server. An application running on the server would archive the tracking ID of the package, the tracking ID of the indicator, and the status of the tamper indicator, and notify the shipper that the package has been opened in route. Having a second tamper sensor at the opposite end of the package can safeguard all access to interior product. It would work in a similar manner to the first sensor described above, protecting alternate entry opposite original filling access side.

High end products (i.e. electronics and pharmaceuticals) are typically individually packaged, in order to be stocked by a retailer or distributor. These individual packages are normally boxed together during shipping to be delivered to a retailer. The manufacturer may be located very far from the distributor, and the large shipping container containing the individual packages may change hands many times en-route to its destination. It may also change modes of transport (i.e. ground-to-ground, ground-to-air, ship-to-ground, etc.). Even with security cameras and current tamper proofing methods, there remain incidences where shipping containers are opened, and the contents are removed before it reaches its final destination. Examples include: 1) A shipping container holding a batch of individually packed pharmaceuticals being opened, and several pills being removed from each of the individual containers, and the large shipping container getting re-sealed. 2) A shipping container holding a batch of individually packed consumer electronic devices being opened, the devices being removed from their individual packaging, and replaced by items whose weight approximates the weight of the shipped items, and the shipping container getting re-sealed. The current invention provides additional theft prevention, complementing a security camera system, and provides a forensic metric to establish the date, time, and location of tampering. This measurement should help the shipper isolate routes which may be subject to theft or tampering, and improve the overall quality of service.

Described below are several of the preferred embodiments of the tamper proof sensor and its components, to illustrate various features of the invention. Note that the invention uses a visual cue to indicate that the lid of a sealed carton has been opened (‘green’ for ‘closed’ and ‘red’ for ‘open’, but any two dis-similar colors may be used i.e. two different shades of grey for the color blind), as well as an electronic cue (a bar code in this instance). The tamper sensor consists of two sections which are mechanically coupled when the lid of a carton is sealed. When the two sections are de-coupled by opening the lids of the carton, the indicator tray is displaced, which changes both the appearance and electronic identification of the device.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 which consists of sections 1 a and 1 b, the tamper sensor is shown to consist of two sections. These sections are tamper sensor indicator housing 101, and snap body 107, to which is connected snap fit 109. This snap fit gets inserted into the indicator housing when the two halves are brought together. The snap body snap fit then becomes coupled to indicator tray 105, once the two halves are brought together. This indicator tray is visible through indicator window 103, created by removing a section of the indicator housing. The sensor assembly is able to be affixed to opposable flaps of a carton by snap body attachment wing 111 for the snap body, and indicator housing attachment wing 113 for the indicator housing.

The exploded view illustration of a preferred embodiment in FIG. 2 provides insight into the mechanism within indicator housing 201. Indicator tray 205 has primary snap 219 which couples to snap body 207 snap fit 209 when the two halves of the tamper sensor are brought together. Indicator tray secondary snap fit 221 forms a negative angle with both indicator housing primary 215 and secondary snaps 217 located at the base of the interior of the indicator housing. Indicator tray stopper tab 227 prevents the indicator tray from being completely pulled out of the indicator housing by the snap body snap fit, when the coupled assembly is pulled apart. Both the indicator tray and the base of the interior of the indicator housing are viewable through indicator tray window 203. The indicator housing is shown to be constructed by coupling upper indicator body housing snap(s) 223 with lower indicator body housing recesses 225. Alternatively, there ae many other ways the upper and lower indictor body parts including sonic welding. The snap body is affixed to one of the opposable flaps on a shipping carton by snap body attachment wing 211 while the indicator housing is attached to the other opposable flap of the shipping carton by indicator housing attachment wing 213.

The illustration of in FIG. 3, consisting of the sections 3 a and 3 b, provides a cross sectional view which helps to explain the coupling action of an embodiment of the invention where snap body 307 snap fit 309 to indicator tray 305 primary snap 319 when snap body 307 is brought together with indicator housing 301. The cross sectional view in 3 a displays indicator tray secondary snap 321 behind the interior indicator housing lower body primary 315 and secondary 317 snaps. The indicator tray is visible through indicator housing window 303 after the two halves are joined. In addition to the indicator tray being visible through the indicator window, a portion of an optional barcode is visible. This barcode comprises of identifier section 323 and indicator section 325, in this embodiment version. The indicator section of the barcode is printed on the indicator tray, and is the portion which is visible through the indicator window. The cross sectional view in 3 b illustrates the appearance of the two halves of the tamper sensor after indicator tray 305 has been pulled out of indicator housing 301 by coupling snap body snap fit 319 with indicator tray primary snap 319 and pulling snap body 307 and indicator housing 301 apart. The indicator tray is prevented from being completely pulled out of the indicator housing by stopper tab 327 which is unable to pass over interior indicator housing lower body secondary snap 317. The negative angle formed between indicator tray secondary snap 321 prevents the tray from being pushed back into the housing once it has been removed. Indicator section 325 of the barcode printed on the indicator tray is no longer visible through indicator window 303 after the two halves of the tamper sensor are separated, providing additional visible-electronic evidence of tampering. Barcoding is only necessary in this version of embodiments.

The illustration of another embodiment in FIG. 4, consisting of sections 4 a and 4 b, depicts the ideal appearance of the two halves of the tamper sensor after they have been attached to two opposable flaps 409 of shipping carton 411. Snap body 407 is affixed to one opposable flap, while indicator housing 401 is affixed to the other. As the two opposable flaps are brought together, the two halves of the tamper sensor would be brought together, and coupled, and the assembly would resemble the illustration in 4 b, with the indicator tray 405 being visible through indicator window 403. After the two halves of the tamper sensor have been brought together and coupled, by bringing together the two opposable flaps of the shipping carton, pulling the opposable flaps apart would pull indicator tray 405 out of indicator housing 409, and indicator tray 405 would no longer be visible through indicator window 403. The assembly would now resemble the illustration in 4 a. After the tray is pulled out of indicator housing 401, only identifier portion 423 of the barcode would be visible, and the other half of the barcode printed on indicator tray 405 would be hidden by indicator housing 401 after the tray has been removed.

In the illustration of another embodiment, of particular use to minimize false triggering with certain types of shipped product, in FIG. 5, consideration was given to the contents of shipping carton 511. Loosely packed contents, or an over filled shipping carton could exert stress on carton opposable flaps 509, once the shipping carton is closed and or jostled. Stress on the opposable flaps would translate into stress on one or both halves of the tamper sensor, which would be affixed inside tamper sensor cutouts 513 of each lid. In an attempt to evenly distribute the force exerted upon opposable flaps 509, container inner cover 519 would be placed inside the shipping carton, which would rest on inner cover support shelf 515. The support shelf would have a small surface area, and be at a lower level than the top of the shipping carton as seen in 5 a. Container inner cover 519 would have tamper sensor recess 517 into which the two halves of the tamper sensor attached in cutouts 513 would rest. An open container, with the container inner cover inserted, would resemble the illustration in 5 b

The illustration in FIG. 6, of another aspect of an embodiment such as in FIG. 5 in use, consisting of sections 6 a and 6 b provides detail of the construction of container inner cover 619. Container inner cover 619 consists of an upper and lower part, formed by inner cover base 621, with the upper portion having a greater surface area than the lower portion as depicted in 6 b. The difference in surface area forms inner cover support lip 623 which is designed to rest on the inner cover support shelf of the shipping carton. The inner cover base has some thickness greater than the thickness of the tamper sensor snap body and tamper sensor indicator housing, also depicted in 6 b. As container inner cover 619 is designed to rest inside a shipping carton, yet still allow the opposable flaps of the shipping carton with the two halves of the tamper sensor attached to be brought together, and not reduce the amount by which the container can be packed, tamper sensor recess 617 is formed at the top of the container inner cover. The recess forms a depression whose depth is at least the equivalent of the tamper sensor snap body and indicator tab housing body as illustrated in 6 a and 6 b, which can protect the bottom of the sensor from any interference from the packed protected product.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1a indicator housing 101 and snap body 107 which form the two halves of the tamper proof sensor. As illustrated in FIG. 4a , the two halves of the tamper sensor are affixed to opposable flaps 409 of shipping carton 411 by securing indicator housing attachment wing 113 and snap body attachment wing 111, illustrated in FIG. 1b , with an adhesive or other suitable means.

The two halves of the tamper sensor have some thickness, and attachment wings (111 and 113 in FIG. 1b ) on the indicator housing, and snap body, are fitted such that the top portion of both halves of the sensor become flush with the opposable flaps of the shipping carton. The undersides of the opposable flaps now become uneven surfaces, and the contents of a closed shipping carton, depending on packing, may place uneven stresses on the opposable flaps, which could inadvertently trigger the tamper sensor. In order to mitigate opportunities for the tamper sensor to be inadvertently triggered, container inner cover 619 illustrated in FIG. 6a would be placed between the snap body and indicator housing on the underside of the opposable flaps, and the contents of the package. Inner cover base 621 provides a flat surface to evenly distribute any forces placed on the opposable flaps of the shipping carton by the contents of the package. Inner cover tamper sensor recess 617 provides a slot for the tamper sensor indicator housing and snap body to fit within, and evenly distributes any forces placed on the tamper sensor by the contents of the shipping carton. Container inner cover 619 is made slightly longer than inner cover base 621 by the addition of inner cover support lip 623, as illustrated in FIG. 6 b.

Shipping carton 511 has inner cover support shelf 515 for the container inner cover to rest on. An open container without a tamper sensor attached, or an inner cover would resemble the illustration in FIG. 5a , with cutouts in the opposable flaps for the two halves of tamper sensor 513. Inner cover support lip 623 seen in FIG. 6b would rest evenly on inner cover support shelf 515 seen in FIG. 5a and the complete container assembly, without the tamper sensor, would resemble the illustration in FIG. 5 b.

The two halves of the tamper sensor are brought together once the shipping carton has been closed by bringing the two flaps together, as seen in FIG. 4b . As shown in FIG. 3a bringing the carton flaps together secures snap body 307 with indicator housing 301 by coupling the snap fit of snap body 309 with primary snap 319 of indicator tray 305 inside the indicator housing. The top of the indicator tray is viewable through window 103 on the indicator housing, as seen in FIG 1a . A closed shipping carton would then resemble the illustration in FIG. 4 b.

After the flaps have been closed, and the two halves of the tamper sensor secured, opening the flaps would place stress on the tamper sensor, and pull the two halves apart. The illustration in FIG. 3b shows the pulling action of snap body snap fit 309 against primary snap 319 of indicator tray 305. The pulling action of snap body snap fit 309 against indicator tray 305, forces indicator tray secondary snap 321 over both indicator housing secondary snap 317 and indicator housing primary snap 315 until the tray is prevented from sliding any further out of the housing by tray stopper 327. A tamper sensor which has had indicator tray 305 partially pulled out of housing 301, as seen in FIG. 3b by the action of opening the flaps of carton 409 resembles the illustration in FIG. 4 a.

Indicator tray 105 which has been pulled out of housing 101 is prevented from being re-inserted into housing 101 by the angle formed between indicator tray secondary snap 221 and indicator housing primary snap 215. Referring to the drawings, FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the tamper sensor and shows the negative angle between indicator tray secondary snap 221 and indicator housing primary 215 and secondary 217 snaps. The negative angle between the snaps allows the tray to slide over the indicator housing snaps in one direction only. Housing snaps 215, 217 are also used to secure indicator tray 105 within indicator housing 101 until it is intended to be pulled out of the housing by snap body 107.

Indicator housing 101 has a printed barcode which extends to indicator tray 105, and is fully visible across the housing and the tray, through indicator window 103. A tamper sensor with the indicator tray fully recessed into the housing resembles the illustration in FIG. 3a . As the barcode extends across two components of the tamper sensor, it is divided into identifier section 323, which serves to prevent counterfeiting, and indicator section 325, which provides an electronic means of indicating the state of the tamper sensor. Indicator section 325 has a numeric code, which signals a software application that indicator tray 105 is fully recessed into housing 101 when read by a barcode scanner, which is coupled to the software application. The software application would then upload: 1) the unique identifier for the tamper sensor, and 2) the status (opened or closed) of the tamper sensor to a server, where the information may be accessed either internally or by a third party.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1b a tamper sensor which has indicator tray 105 being pulled out by snap body 107. It can be seen through indicator window 103 that the bottom half of indicator housing 101, which also forms housing lid attachment wing 113, is dis-similar in color from indicator tray 105, snap body 107, and top of the indicator housing 101. The difference in coloring is stark, and is intended to provide a visual cue to a handler that the lids of a sealed carton have been opened prior to their receiving it.

Having described preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A tamper-proof packaging system comprising: a carton/box or other container having at least one set of opposing flaps which are movable, and may be closed by bringing the edges of the flaps together; a tamper sensor, comprising of two halves, wherein each half is attached to the opposable flaps of a carton or other container via an adhesive or other suitable means; and wherein the two halves of the tamper sensor are joined by the action of bringing the opposable flaps together.
 2. The tamper-proof packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said tamper sensor comprises two halves, that are coupled by, but not limited to: mechanical, electrical, or magnetic means, when the carton or container is closed by bringing together edges of the opposing flaps.
 3. A tamper sensor, such as for the tamper-proof packaging system in claim 1, comprising: two halves, in which one half contains an indicator mechanism, and each half is attached to at least one of opposable lids of a carton/box or other container via an adhesive or other suitable means; and wherein the indicator mechanism is activated when the two halves of the tamper sensor are de-coupled by the action of pulling the edges of the opposable flaps apart.
 4. The tamper sensor according to claim 3, with a visible means of indication that a closed carton, to which it is attached, has been opened, through triggering of the mechanism described in claim 3; wherein the suitable means of visible indication includes, but is not limited to, a component which changes color or is no longer visible, or becomes visible, when the tamper mechanism is triggered.
 5. The tamper sensor according to claim 4, further comprising an electronic means of indication, which may be provided by, a barcode, a RFID, or other suitable means and said electronic means of tamper indication also provides a method of uniquely identifying the tamper sensor, as to prevent counterfeiting.
 6. The tamper-proof packaging system according to claim 1, wherein more than one tamper sensor is attached to greater than one set of opposable flaps.
 7. The tamper-proof packaging system according to claim 1, further comprising an insert positioned below the tamper sensor, which accepts said sensor and primarily isolates said sensor from product contained within the packaging system to reduce false triggering of said sensor mechanism by the product and/or reduce damage by said sensor on the product.
 8. The tamper-proof packaging system according to claim 6, wherein one tamper sensor is attached to a top set of opposable flaps and a second tamper sensor is attached to a bottom set of opposable flaps.
 9. The tamper-proof packaging system according to claim 6, wherein two tamper sensors are attached to any two sides of the packaging system which are open and opposite each other as said packaging system is assembled before filling with product and would include a top and a bottom set of opposable flaps.
 10. A method of using a tamper-proof packaging system, as specified by claim 1, comprising the steps of: a. assembling a packaging container having opposable flaps; b. attaching a tamper sensor halve to each half of one or more opposable flap sets; c. filling said container through an open top/side; d. closing said open set of opposable flaps to activate said tamper sensor; e. recording identifying information for said activated tamper sensor; f. shipping and monitoring said package and sensor in transit; g. report status of tamper sensor at desired points along distribution chain; and h. inspect/record said tamper sensor information at arrival destination. 